France Travel Guide: Paris, Provence, Riviera, and Beyond

Ten to fourteen days is the sweet spot: three days in Paris, two in the Loire (Versailles + château day trips), three in Provence (Avignon + Arles + Aix), three on the Riviera, plus travel days. Seven days works for just Paris + Loire OR Paris + Provence. Five days is enough for Paris alone. Adding the Alps, Bordeaux, or Brittany to a first trip turns most days into travel days.

May-June and September-October are the sweet spots: perfect weather everywhere, fewer crowds than peak summer, gardens in bloom or autumn foliage. Avoid August (Paris half-closed for vacances, Riviera overcrowded at peak prices). Winter (Nov-March) is fine for Paris museums and Alsace Christmas markets, but rural Provence shuts down. Lavender peaks mid-June to mid-July.

Most Western passport holders (US, UK, Canada, Australia) get 90-day visa-free entry under Schengen rules; just a passport stamp. Starting late 2026, ETIAS (€20 online pre-authorization, valid 3 years) is required for non-EU citizens, similar to the US ESTA. Apply on the official EU ETIAS site (travel-europe.europa.eu) a few weeks before; don't fall for 'expedited' scam sites.

TGV high-speed trains are the canonical answer: Paris↔Lyon in 2 hr, Paris↔Avignon in 2.5 hr, Paris↔Bordeaux in 2 hr 5 min, Paris↔Strasbourg in 1 hr 45 min. Book on SNCF Connect 60+ days ahead for the cheapest fares (€30-50 vs €120 last-minute, as of mid-2026; TGV fares are dynamic, check current on SNCF Connect). Ouigo is the budget TGV competitor. For the Riviera, fly into Nice; for the Alps, fly to Lyon or Geneva. Skip rental cars in cities; Paris parking is brutal.

Cards work nearly everywhere: even small bistros and boulangeries take contactless. Apple Pay and Google Pay are universal. Cash is occasionally needed for tiny markets, public toilets, and rural restaurants; carry €100-200 in small bills. Most US cards work fine; some bistros don't accept American Express. Withdraw at bank ATMs (BNP, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole) to avoid Euronet 'tourist' ATM fees.

Very safe by global standards: violent crime against tourists is rare, women routinely travel solo. The real risks are pickpocketing on Paris Metro Line 1 (Louvre-Champs-Élysées corridor), Gare du Nord, Sacré-Cœur stairs, and Trocadéro. Watch for the gold-ring and petition-signing scams near landmarks. Late-night safety is good in Paris's 1st-8th arrondissements; quieter outer arrondissements thin out after midnight.

Eat regionally. Paris: croissants from a real boulangerie (not chain), steak-frites, escargots, late-night onion soup. Lyon: bouchons for quenelles, andouillette, salade lyonnaise; the food capital, by some distance. Provence: bouillabaisse, ratatouille, fresh rosé. Riviera: socca (chickpea pancake) in Nice, salade niçoise on the actual coast, daube niçoise. Burgundy: boeuf bourguignon and the actual escargots de Bourgogne. Alsace: choucroute, tarte flambée, kougelhopf. Skip restaurants with picture menus.

Only for the Loire Valley châteaux, Provence villages, Alsace Wine Route, Normandy/D-Day sites, or rural Brittany. For the Paris-Lyon-Riviera triangle, TGV is dramatically faster and avoids the punishing French ZTL fines (Crit'Air emission stickers required in Paris/Lyon/Grenoble city centers). Most rental centers are at airports or train stations; pick up there, not in the city itself.